Case Study: General Mills

Developing Women with Menttium 100®

General Mills

General Mills, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, markets some of the most trusted and respected food brands in over 100 countries on six continents. General Mills is well recognized for its progressive human resource development practices which impact over 27,000 employees worldwide.

Business Case

A key strategic business objective for General Mills is to invest in the development of company brands, people, and culture to assure the sustainability of future organizational performance. General Mills selected the Menttium 100 mentoring program as one strategy to achieve this objective.

Objectives for participation in the Menttium 100 Program included:

Enhanced skills at generating creative and innovative solutions through access to the diverse perspective of an outside resource

Greater confidence in building relationships with people outside and across General Mills

Increased overall breadth of knowledge

Mentoring Strategy

General Mills selects 15-30 top talent female employees each year to participate as mentees in the Menttium 100 cross-company mentoring experience. Mentees participate from the Minneapolis-based headquarters as well as globally. In addition, several General Mills senior executives serve as Menttium 100 mentors.

Impact

When asked about their overall Menttium 100 experience, 90-100% of General Mills mentees reported:

They applied new or enhanced skills within 4-6 months of starting the program

The experience supported their personal and professional development

They achieved two-thirds or greater of their established goals

Competency Development

Thinking Strategically0%

Leading and Managing Others0%

Meeting Challenges in my Current
Work Environment0%

Effectively Communicating Ideas0%

Managing Upward0%

The program also supported employee satisfaction with 75% of General Mills mentees indicating that the knowledge, skill and support they received through the Menttium 100 Program positively contributed to their satisfaction in their current role within the organization.

General Mills provides multiple mentoring partnership opportunities for employees. Some initiatives are cross-functional within the organization, while others are external, cross-company partnerships.